Entertainment

Research & Plan - Make Games and Scavenger Hunts

As you've probably learned, down time, unless you're asleep in your room, can be very expensive in Las Vegas,! If you are traveling to Las Vegas, you're coming to enjoy the thrills, lights, and sights-not the four walls of your hotel room. Unfortunately, there is a price tag on everything and everything in Las Vegas is designed to get you to spend your hard earned money, so we encourage you to get creative and come up with fun ways to distract yourself without breaking the bank! We've had a lot of fun making games and scavenger hunt style adventures with our friends in the past. Last year, we designed the "Fremont Street Casino Golf Experience" (Here is the Printable PDF for the score cards) and this year we did a "Gauntlet" around town. These games include things like skill competitions, gambling, drinking, famous attractions, Limo rides, sports bets, match play coupons, and even the random trivia question. Pride is always on the line in these games and everyone really seems to enjoy the effort. Some of our favorite attractions in Las Vegas to include are below:

The Bellagio Conservatory and Fountains -The Bellagio is one of the most beautiful hotels in the world. Every 3 months they convert their Conservatory to match the season with different floral displays! Our favorite time to walk through the awe-inspiring conservatory is in the morning or late at night when the crowds are practically nonexistent. The famous Fountains still put on incredible free shows that go off every 30 minutes during the day and every 15 minutes from 8pm-12 am most nights!

The Chandelier Bar at the Cosmopolitan - Go to the 2nd Level and get a Cosmo. Ask the bartender for "Buzz Buttons." They are little edible flowers that create an amazing sensation on your tongue. Water never tasted so good! Note: we the buzz buttons are for one of their signature cocktails but we preferred the traditional Cosmo!

The Wynn Koi Pond - This is a hidden gem. It's in the back right hand corner of the Wynn from the strip. It's a small entrance way that leads to Villas from a special valet. It's so a very calm and peaceful place, mainly because no one knows its there!

Vintage Sigma Derby Horse Race Games - These games are so much fun! For only $0.25 per bet, you can bet on your favorite long shot horses in this vintage game. There are only two Sigma Derby games left in Las Vegas. You can find one upstairs at The D in Downtown Vegas on Fremont Street and another at the MGM Grand located on the southern end of the strip.

The Hand of Faith is the biggest golden nugget in existence and can be found on display at the aptly named Golden Nugget.

The Las Vegas Sign - You definitely will need to drive or take an uber/limo out to this one, but it's worth it for a group shot!

The Blarney Stone The D Hotel and Casino was bequeathed a rare fragment of stone from the famed Blarney Castle in Ireland. Feel free to give it a rub for luck and, while it isn't recommended, no one will stop you from giving the stone a kiss for luck!

The Flamingos at the Flamingo - The wildlife habitat is located near the entrance to the buffet. While the Flamingos are the stars, it is also awesome to see other animals that have been rescued!

The Wynn Waterfall When the sun sets, the Lake of Dreams, complete with an awesome 40 foot waterfall, comes alive with amazing nightly shows. For an unforgettable experience, dine at one of the Wynn's lake front restaurants to enjoy dinner and a show!

The Linq Hotel Game Room at the Pool - This 21+ pool has so much to offer. While smaller than the other Vegas party pools, The Linq's pool has a very distinctive vibe. It is like a backyard pool party for adults. Let your inner kid rage and enjoy playing beer pong, giant jenga, or visit the clubhouse for free Shuffleboard while getting out of the sun! It is by far our favorite adults only pool!

The Fremont Street Experience Honestly, we just love Downtown Vegas and can't say enough about its vintage inspired kitsch. Yes, you will see some crazy things but it is the embodiment of old Vegas' last stand and we support the weird!

Downtown Container Park - The Downtown Container Park is awesome. It has free games, slides, tree houses, and a giant praying mantis that shoots fire. It's right across the street from the El Cortez (The best BlackJack in town).

The Gallery featuring Dale Chihuly at the City Center - This is a great stop for some culture on your Vegas trip! There are videos throughout the gallery that show how Chihuly makes his pieces (like the reception display at the Bellagio!). It's free and gallery staff is very welcoming and non-pretentious!

Le Reve at the Wynn - This show is supposed to be wonderful. It is a Cirque Style Show, but not run by the official Cirque Du Soleil company.

These are our rankings for our the Cirque shows that we have seen so far:

O at the Bellagio - This show is absolutely beautiful. The stage disappears and reappears seamlessly in a pool where performers complete choregraphed diving, synchronized swimming, and other acrobatic acts. The show incorporates water into almost all aspects of the performance. It is our favorite Cirque show to date.

Mystere at Treasure Island - This is the original Cirque Show in Las Vegas and has yet to disappoint us. There are impressive flips, feats of strength, and amazing dancing. The clowns are pretty funny too!

KA at the MGM Grand - This is an amazing show with tons of details. KA incorporates the magic of Chinese mythology into skilled fighting, dancing, aerial acts, and humor. We've been lucky enough to see it multiple times and we notice something exciting and new every time!

Love at the Mirage - We love The Beatles and this show incorporates most of their biggest hits into an action packed experience full of energy. From trick roller skating, to aerial stunts, to perfectly choreographed dance numbers, this show is a blast from start to finish.

Zumanity at New York, New York - This show focuses more on sensual/sexy numbers rather than traditional Cirque routines. There are some really funny parts with clever crowd interaction. Heed the age restriction-this is definitely an adult show!

MindFreak LIVE - This is a really fun show. It's at the bottom of our list because it really isn't a Cirque Style show but Criss Angel is a world class magician and you'll definitely be wowed with his illusions. Items and people will disappear and then reappear seemingly from no where. You won't be disappointed.

Getting Hitched in Las Vegas

​So, wedding bells on the brain? Love Las Vegas bust hate the idea of the kitschy Vegas Wedding stigmas? Have no fear, the Las Vegas Travel Wizards have ideas to make your Las Vegas destination wedding planning easy. LocationsFrom marriages by an Elvis Impersonator to Drive-Through Chapels to elaborate hotel ballrooms, Las Vegas has it all. If you are looking for that quintessential Las Vegas chapel wedding, we have several options that are budget friendly and work with time sensitivity. But, for those couples with bigger budgets and a bit more planning time, consider one of the many other options for more glamour out affairs. The options are limitless and most offer convenient packages that include flowers, an officiant, film/photography, and a day of ceremony coordinator. Las Vegas Hotels truly make things easy on you and your guests. Plus, hosting an awesome reception at one of the world class restaurants is a breeze! Las Vegas is the wedding capital of the world for a reason-they are PROS at making your special day memorable. Little Vegas ChapelMon Bel Ami Wedding ChapelChapel of the FlowersGraceland Wedding ChapelA Wee Kirk o’the HeatherNon traditional

Hotel Reservations for Blocks of RoomsWhether you're staying in Las Vegas for a wedding, a fight, gambling, or to see world class shows, keep in mind that Las Vegas is a tourist destination and rooms book up FAST! If this is a destination wedding where many of your guests will be traveling from out of town (or from other countries!), an easy way to keep everyone together is to reserve a block of rooms. Keep in mind, though, that Las Vegas hotels usually have sister properties that suit a wide variety of budgets. For example, we’re huge fans of Total Rewards Properties. With our wedding, we stayed at Paris, which connects internally to Bally’s. By utilizing these connecting sister properties, we were able to find our guests rooms that fit every budget and kept us all close by.Destination ThemeIf you’re guests are coming in from out of town, help them make the most of their trip and precious vacation time. Las Vegas can be very expensive and you want your guests to come back from your wedding with the happiest of memories, not nightmares from having spent a fortune. Our favorite ways to make our guests feel loved include generous welcome bags (see below for what we included in our bags) and planning a fun first night out with your guests. We also tried to incorporate the Las Vegas theme into everything we did for the weekend. From playing cards that gave information about each guests that coupled as an interactive seating chart to a casino pub crawl that allowed our friends to see the major attractions on the strip, we kept our wedding focused on the destination. Welcome Bag

Hair & MakeupFrom a girl from the south, one of the most satisfying things about Las Vegas is the lack of humidity that keeps your makeup from melting and your hair from becoming a giant mass of frizz. However, with that beautiful lack of humidity, comes the harshness of the dry desert. If you are planning to do your makeup yourself, the key is to hydrate your skin! Try this great rosewater spray to keep your skin dewy throughout your big day. Keep in mind that with Las Vegas being the wedding capital of the world, competition among wedding-centered services thrive! Take advantage of hiring a local beauty guru that knows how to keep you looking fabulous in the harsh climate while making you feel like a princess on your big day. And, if you are worried about the price,for having two fabulous girls from Fairytale Hair & Makeup come to my room to do mine, my mom, and mother-in-law’s hair and makeup was actually cheaper than most reputable traveling hair professionals in North Carolina. They brought everything with them, arrived right on time, and made life SO easy for me! Limos and Party Bus RentalsWhen living out your best life on your best day ever, why not incorporate some of Las Vegas’ finest luxury transportation? Depending on the number of people you have, your guests can enjoy a fully equipped party bus that rivals any club, a stretch hummer with an awesome sound system, or a smaller luxury limo! We have used several companies with great success. The most important thing to remember is that you can usually bring your own alcohol along for the ride. Our favorite supplies include premixed LVTWs Party Juice (vodka, orange juice, 5 hour energy, and additional juices for flavor), champagne, beers, and BOTTLED WATERS. The water might be the most important drink so don’t forget it! You can also usually bring your own music so make sure your Spotify playlist is ready to ROCK. The following is our list of preferred limo services

Omni

Presidential

VIP Limousines of Nevada

Elite Transportation​

Reception and After PartyWith the affordability of Las Vegas Ceremonies, your budget might can stretch to include a seriously Kick Ass reception. Just like with the ceremony venues, restaurants in Las Vegas will compete for your business and they will make it EASY for you to plan an awesome event. Restaurants throughout the strip offer a variety of catering options and event space. Yes, you will likely spend much more on your reception than your ceremony but isn't that the case anywhere? Keep in mind that we highly recommend that you book your reception location as soon as you have reserved your ceremony venue. Remember, conventions are always in town and they book restaurant space months out for corporate dinners. We had a fairy tale reception at Mon Ami Gabi at the Paris Hotel & Casino but we had to book six months out. The people at Mon Ami Gabi were amazing to work with from start to finish, even with our boisterous group of friends. While we will always sing the praises of the awesome staff at Mon Ami Gabi, keep in mind that there are endless options for incredible reception locations so have fun and pick a location that works for your group. If dinners aren’t your thing, Las Vegas is the center of night time entertainment that allows for your group to keep the party going long into the night (or wee hours of the morning…). Fancy dancing? How about VIP entry at a club or social lounge? Like to gamble? Contact a casino host to reserve a craps table. You could also venture off stri to some of the old school Vegas lounges like the Peppermill Fireside Lounge or Frankie's Tiki Room. Want to go Downtown? Try the Commonwealth or Park on Fremont. The options are as limitless as your imagination. For us, we continued our celebration with a first dance in front of the bellagio fountains, cigar smoking on the terrace, a party bus after party down the strip, and then closing the night playing craps at the Paris Casino before leaving our friends and family to devour the extra meal that the thoughtful Mon Ami Gabi staff sent up knowing we were too busy celebrating to eat. Seriously, we can’t recommend Las Vegas destination weddings enough. It took us six months of meticulous planning to host 48 of our closest friends and family and we’d do it again in a heartbeat-especially now that we know so many tips and tricks. Interested in hosting your own wedding, bachelorette, or bachelor party in Vegas? Send us a message and we’ll be happy to help!​​​

Sports Betting

​It seems like you can just about bet on anything in Las Vegas! Some of these decisions or outcomes are very quick. A quick hand of BlackJack at an empty table can take less than 20 seconds. This means that the house edge is multiplying against you on each bet you make. The more hands you play, the chance of walking away with your money decreases exponentially (especially in games with high house edge). One thing you may be interested in trying is sports betting.

Generally, the house edge isn’t huge because the casino is trying to get an even amount of money (or proportional amount) on each side of a bet/game/decision. They make their profit, by taking a commission (or vig) from the profits of the winning bets. If you bet on a basketball game, that could last for three hours. Watching the game has instantly become more exciting and Las Vegas has some great places with cheap drinks and video poker to enjoy the experience.

​By placing one bet on a 3 hour event, versus a few hundred bets over a couple hours, you have increased your chances or making money! Use your player’s card when you place bets and you’ll usually earn a small percentage of credits/points as well! Search for game lines at Vegas Insider before you place your bet. Find the location in Las Vegas giving the best odds and go place your best there ​(as long as its within a reasonable distance). 2 of our favorite places to watch games in Las Vegas are Ellis Island and Casino Royale. The drinks are cheap, they both have video poker at the bar, and lots of TVs!

Las Vegas Club Guest Lists

If you're planning to go to a club with a large group of people, then bottle service may be your best bet because you can split the price among several people. Our strategies for Cabanas at pool parties is exactly the same. Split the cost among a large group of people and it starts making sense. It's still going to be expensive, but the reduction in stress of having your own private area and easy access does have value.

If you're going solo to clubs in Las Vegas, or with a small group of people then getting on the guest list is a great idea. You simply sign up on sites like No Cover Nightclubs or Las Vegas Guest List and a promoter does the rest. It really is so easy and you get the added bonus of several benefits. First, it costs you nothing. If your plans change, and you decide to go a different direction with the night, the worst case is that the promoter will send you a few texts that evening reminding you that you signed up for entry. Next, any girls in your group usually get a few free drink tickets. Last, generally there is a separate line which moves faster for people on the guest list. Some of our favorite places to go are Ghost Bar at the Palms, Foundation Room at Mandalay Bay, and Voo Doo Lounge at the Rio. In comparison to some of the other clubs, these are fairly small and they have rooftop views of the strip. If you're going to pay $20/drink, you might as well get an amazing view! Check out our YouTube Video from 2017 with views from these rooftop bars/clubs!